Karma is not fate but the law of moral causation, showing us that we are the architects of our own destiny.

When you see forms or hear sounds fully engaging body-and-mind, you intuit dharma intimately.

Liberation is found in the practice, not in the theory.

Forgiveness is giving up all hope for a better past.

Without accepting the fact that everything changes, we cannot find perfect composure.

The only reason we don't open our hearts and minds to other people is that they trigger confusion in us that we don't feel brave enough or sane enough to deal with.

Our own life has to be our message.

Without darkness, there is no light. Without the path, there is no arrival.

The cave I live in is empty and so is my mind. I live simply and at ease.

Generosity generates its own enthusiasm. We don't have to force ourselves to be generous; we just need to start.

True peace comes not from controlling the world, but from letting go of control.

Meditation is not about achieving anything. It's about letting go of everything.

The first step toward faith is to admit that we don't know everything.

Rejoicing in ordinary things is not sentimental or trite. It actually takes guts.

The mind is like a well-forged sword - it adapts to all situations.

We can learn the art of fierce compassion - redefining strength, deconstructing isolation and renewing a sense of community, practicing letting go of rigid us-vs.-them thinking.

Whatever we do, we should see ourselves. Reading books doesn't show us our defilements. Watch yourself. Watch your mind.

The perfect moment is this one, not the one you're waiting for.

All experiences are preceded by mind, led by mind, made by mind. Speak or act with a corrupted mind, and suffering follows as the wagon wheel follows the hoof of the ox.

Nothing is permanent. Everything is subject to change. Being is always becoming.

Happiness is not about getting what you want, but wanting what you've got.

When you love someone, you have to have trust and confidence. Love without trust is not yet love.

Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are okay.

To think in terms of either pessimism or optimism oversimplifies the truth. The problem is to see reality as it is.

Sticking with uncertainty, getting the knack of relaxing in the midst of chaos, learning not to panic—this is the spiritual path.

The highest truth cannot be taught except through the conventional truth.

The Buddha's teaching is a middle way between all extremes, between eternalism and annihilationism, between self-indulgence and self-torture.

Do everything with a mind that lets go. Don't accept praise or gain or anything else. If you let go a little, you will have a little peace; if you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace.

Love is the wish that others be happy, and compassion is the wish that they be free from suffering.

What is evil? Killing is evil, lying is evil, slandering is evil, abuse is evil, gossip is evil, envy is evil, hatred is evil, to cling to false doctrine is evil; all these things are evil. And what is the root of evil? Desire is the root of evil, illusion is the root of evil.

All that appears and exists, all of samsara and nirvana, has one ground, two paths, and two results. This is the magical display of awareness and unawareness.

Only when you can be extremely pliable and soft can you be extremely hard and strong.

Don't be a bodhisatta; don't be an arahant; don't be anything at all. Being something makes you suffer.